I am back to trying to crank out a new playlist every other week which is a herculean task considering how many songs are in my repertoire—but I am up for it! My goal in 2017 is to branch out and listen to new artists and new kinds of music so if any of you out there have suggestions—hit me up in the comments.

In the meantime—take a look/listen to today’s playlist as I hope it inspires you for your next workout.

I Lived (Arty Remix):OneRepublic

I prefer this “Arty Remix” as it has some fast-paced intervals in there which makes for a great warm-up song.

Hell: Tegan and Sara

This is one of my favorite songs from Tegan and Sara because it has the right amount of happy energy and a good beat. The video, however, is just a wee but pretentious IMHO.

Blow Me (One Last Kiss):P!nk

P!nk is one of my favorite artists and this song always makes me want to sing along even though she sings in an impossible key during the chorus!

Long Road to Ruin:Foo Fighters

The Foos are my “go-to” for most rides as you can probably can tell by now. Therefore, I cannot believe this is the first time Long Road to Ruin has been featured on one of my playlists. (Bad Margo!)

Dangerous (featuring Joywave):Big Data

I love the bouncy beat of this song and how when it plays—my students bop their heads to the bass line. (So freaking cute!)

2 Heads:Coleman Hell

My mother refers to this as the ‘banjo song’ which also makes her giggle every time she hears it. So now you know—you’re welcome!

I Am One: Smashing Pumpkins

My inner 90s rock chick needs to be listened to from time to time and the Smashing Pumpkins reminds of those fun days.

Starboy: The Weeknd

I am beginning to become a big fan of The Weeknd even though the spelling of his stage name is pretty lame. (Do you think he regrets it already?)

Gold, Girls, Guns: Metric

This is one of the best songs I use for sprinting intervals because it has an intense feel to it without being overwhelming. Try it for yourself!

Crabbuckit: k-os

If you love pop & hip hop music—give Canadian k-os a listen some time. You will thank me later!

24k Magic: Bruno Mars

No—I am not sick of this song yet. Bruno knows how to create a funky beat that makes folks happy.

Moves Like Jagger: Maroon 5

This is the song that made me like Maroon 5. I can’t help but start singing along to it.

Sara: Fleetwood Mac

Sometimes I just need to hear some old-school Fleetwood Mac to mellow me out after a tough workout and this song fits the job perfectly.

That’s it for me this time. I will be back soon with another batch of tunes to get you all kinds of motivated!

As I write this post it has been exactly a week since we lost David Bowie and just a few days since AlanRickman took his acting genius to the big stage in the sky. These are sad days my friends but I refuse to let that stop me from putting a little nostalgia into my playlists to show these amazing artists the respect they are due.

So today I have just one song featuring one of my faves by Bowie and the incomparable Freddie Mercury (who should also still be with us, dammit!)

Let me know what you think of it and remember—I need song suggestions, always. So be sure to post them in the comments below!

Thanks!

Best Look Lately:Dear Rouge

If you are looking for a fun, upbeat song to begin your workout—this one by Dear Rouge (a married duo from Alberta) will do very nicely.

Ch-Check it Out: Beasite Boys

Adam MCA Yauch is gone too! (Life is most unfair, is it not?)

Pumped Up Kicks:Foster the People

Here we have another peppy tune that people always seem to enjoy when I play it in class.

Synthetica:Metric

I am an American on a mission to get this Canadian band the recognition they deserve. Buy their music, people!

Ghosts:Ladytron

If you are not familiar with Ladytron they are a rock, new wave, synth, techno, alternative band from Liverpool that does tons of remixes for big stars all the time. Listen to them!

The Pit:Silversun Pickups

I love this band for their hard charging music that is perfect for doing fast intervals and sprints.

Get the Party Started:P!nk

This song has that “everyone in the room is immediately on board” kind of quality to it. In other words—it is always a winner.

Tell Me Baby:Red Hot Chili Pepper

I use this song for high intensity drills (HIIT) because the Peppers music is perfect for that sort of thing,

Under Pressure: Queen & David Bowie

They should BOTH still be with us, dammit!

Family Affair:Mary J. Blige

This number by Mary J. Blige is another “room winner” that gets everyone in a good mood.

Stronger:Kanye West

I like to finish with a big climb and Kanye, though just a tad egotistical, knows how to create a beat that will keep you motivated.

I and Love and You:The Avett Brothers

For the cool down music The Avett Brothers always do nicely. Why they didn’t just name this one “Brooklyn Take Me In” confounds me but “I and Love and You” is kind of memorable. I guess…

How on earth did a whole month go by without me creating a new playlist? Sheesh! You know how it is—Thanksgiving shows up out of nowhere and the next thing you know there are gifts to buy, breads to bake and multiple holiday cards to send. It’s a wonder I was able to sneak one in this past week but I did just that (patting herself on the back.)

Let me know what you think of it and remember—I need song suggestions, always. So be sure to post them in the comments below!

Thanks!

Gone:JR JR

The band’s PR rep got in touch with me via my work for Fit Bottomed Girls where I am compiling a peppy/upbeat playlist to post sometime in January.

Those of you who actually know me would not exactly call me “peppy” (spastic, yes but not peppy.) However, this song just got under my skin and I decided to use it in classes this past weekend and everyone loved it. So there you go!

Welcome to Paradise: Green Day

For every class I teach I make sure the “second” song is a butt kicker to get everyone in gear and to really get their collective heartrates up. This song might just be a wee bit too fast but, so what? It works!

Mass Romantic:The New Pornographers

One of my favorite Canadian bands really cooks with this playful tune that has a jangly sound. (I like me some jangle!)

Adventure of a Lifetime:Coldplay

I know there are Coldplay haters that exist in the world but I don’t give a rat’s butt about any of them. They know how to craft music that will make you want to move and bop your head to the beat. #teamchrismartin

Lose Yourself:Eminem

True story—the gym’s stereo broke over this past weekend and I had to use a little boom box in a big room to teach my classes. That in and of itself was bad enough, but having to play this amazing song by Eminem with a low volume almost killed me! You need volume to really raise the roof with this one. (Truth)

The Wolf:Mumford & Sons

Thee is nary a banjo in this one from the British band that really rocks it out here.

2 Heads:Coleman Hell

Another Canadian (Thunder Bay, Ontario!) on my list and this one DOES indeed use a banjo with amazing results on his song here.

Can’t feel My Face:The Weeknd

ANOTHER Canadian (Toronto!) and this is his biggest hit in the U.S. so far. Just try to listen and move to the beat—it’s impossible!

Price Tag: Jessie J

I love this song because it mixes unbridled optimism with a fun /not-posh British accent.

Cannibal:Silversun Pickups

The Silversun Pickups write songs that are so hard charging and excellent that they are virtually all perfect for high speed sprints and intervals.

Please Don’t Leave Me:P!nk

Alecia Moore (P!nk’s real name!) writes some of the sweetest ear candy in the whole world and this romantic song always gets to me.

Time to Pretend: MGMT

Whatever happened to this band? Does anyone know?

Song for Someone:U2

Some people groused about getting a whole free album downloaded (for free!) into their iTunes accounts by one of the biggest bands of all time. (First world problems, people!) I on the other hand think it’s one of their best efforts and this song in particular is beautiful.

I like Madonna fine. She’s great and is far braver and more hardworking than I am for sure. However, I get in trouble sometimes with my friends who are Madge super fans when I explain that some of her music is just so damn stinky. (Remember True Blue or the dreadful remake of American Pie? No. Thank You.)

I put Madonna’s music into my personal “Law of the Thirds” (The Doors and The Red Hot Chili Peppers are also in this category for me.)

The Madonna songs I hate drive me insane but her top work (Like a Prayer, Take a Bow, Music and in particular Ray of Light bring indescribable joy into my life. Her high efforts are so damn amazing that I wanted to start of a playlist with my favorite version of my favorite song by Madonna to prove I am not a hater. (Really!)

The rest are a mixture of older and new tunes that make a perfect interval workout playlist (in my not so humble opinion.)

Let me know what you think of it and remember—I need song suggestions, always. So be sure to post them in the comments below!

Thanks!

Ray of Light:Madonna

If you do not own the William Orbit Liquid mix of this song—than get it right now and play on high volume. It will rock your world completely!

Mother Mary: The Foxboro Hottubs

Not familiar with Green Day’s “garage band side project?” Well now is the perfect time to check out this video and tell me what you think. I like that it is high energy and feels very madcap.

Get the Party Started:P!nk

Linda Perry (of 4 Non Blondes fame) is one of the top songwriters and record producers in the business and she wrote this fun tune for P!nk.

Ship to Wreck:Florence + The Machine

This new song by Florence + The Machine is my new favorite for speed drills and in my regular life as well. It cooks!

Connected: Stereo MCs

This British band wrote some fun dance tunes back in the early 90s and this one in particular is my favorite when I want to use a heavy resistance climb.

Walk:Foo Fighters

I love me some Foos in my workouts and this song makes me want to workout harder and then get weepy afterwards at the same time. Pay attention to the lyrics here because they will help you get overcome any fears you may be dealing with in your life.

Hollaback Girl:Gwen Stefani

The “dirty’ version is more fun to play out loud in class but I will leave that decision up to you.

Firestarter:The Prodigy

Some people are scared off by The Prodigy’s look but I have to say when I put this on for sprints my students just book it on their bikes.

Monkey Tree: Mother Mother

This song is from a Canadian indie band because y’all know how much I love my Canadians!

Crabbuckit: K-Os

Speaking of Canadians–my favorite Canuck Hip Hop artist is K-Os and this is his best song ever.

Love Runs Out:OneRepublic

Love, love, love playing this in my classes. People just bop their heads to the music which amuses me greatly.

Ring of Fire:Social Distortion

My favorite cover of a Johnny Cash song by one of the most underrated rock bands of all time. Period.

The Drugs Don’t Work:The Verve

I love ending a class with a mellow rock ballad and this is 90s songwriting at its finest.

How are you all doing today? It’s a brand new week and though I feel a wee bit short of my personal fitness goals (I may have slacked on my foam rolling a bit…) but this warmer & sunny weather has put an extra spring in my step. Doesn’t seeing the sun out nice and bright in the sky improve your outlook? It sure does mine and with that I am resolving to get back to foam rolling and stretching every night not only it makes me feel better but it also helps me perform better as a teacher.

So now that I am saying it OUT LOUD—it will have to get done! If it kills me I am going to increase my flexibility and strength. You are all my witnesses! Now that THAT is out of the way—let’s go through my weekly news & notes. (And for those 3 of you miss my Vlog—next week I promise to deliver with a cool, new giveaway. Pinky swear!)

Brooklyn Fit Chick News & Notes

Tips from the Pros on “Kettlebells for Beginners”

If there is one strength-building piece of equipment that really helps to build muscle while also providing an excellent cardio workout it’s the kettlebell. For Fit Bottomed Girls I wrote “Tips for Your First Kettlebell Class” so I would know how to use mine better when working out on my own.

Do you use kettlebells? What is your favorite advice for newbies?

Terry Bikes Spring Gear:

Some of you may know that I am a BIG FAN of Terry Bikes and somehow got the gumption last year to approach them as their first brand ambassador. Luckily they said yes so I get to try out their latest gear and let you know what you need to add to your next bike ride. In this post for them I picked my favorite spring items from their catalog. Enjoy!

BlogHer 15 Conference Set for NYC:

Have you heard the news? BlogHer will be back in NYC July 16-18 for their “Experts Among Us” BlogHer 15 Conference. I know I will be there but if you want more details check out this link to see who will be speaking there. (They always manage to get GREAT special guests at BlogHer events!)

BlogHer & SheKnows are also teaming up for a road show (I was invited to the Brooklyn event last week and had a blast!) If you live anywhere near the following markets—you should absolutely go (it’s free!)
April 24: Atlanta, Georgia – 5:00 p.m.
May 3: Chicago, Illinois – 5:00 p.m.
May 8: San Francisco, California – 6:00 p.m.
May 9: Boston, Massachusetts – 4:00 p.m.

I don’t know if you heard of this story but one of my favorite singers, P!nk, attended an event this past weekend looking totally beautiful. Well because we live in an internet age there has to be a body-shaming wave headed by mean-spirited trolls tried to make her life miserable. Well if you know anything about P!nk you know that she is non-nonsense and expertly handled all of the mean tweets thrown her way. Do you think we will EVER live in a world without trolls?

How I Learned to Love Eating:

I really loved this article from Tapgenes.com talking about recovery from eating disorders. Tapgenes.com interviewed two amazing women who talk about the toll it took on their bodies and how they have successfully deal with their individual disorders. This is a definite must-read!

Book Vs Movie Podcast:

Margo Porras of Shes Nacho Mama’s Blog and I talked about The Outsiders in our newest episode of our podcast “Book Vs. Movie” and had a fabulous time doing it. You can check us out in the player below and in case you are wondering what will be the subject of our next episode—get ready for us to dissect The Stepford Wives! Woot Woot!

That’s all I have for today—keep checking back for news, reviews and playlists aplenty! Thanks as always for dropping by!

(If you are reading this on a different site or a different feed than Brooklyn Fit Chick, it has been taken without permission.)

Today I am featuring my new favorite playlist which features a nice mix of old favorites and maybe a few new (to you) ones as well. Hope they inspire you on your next workout!!

Best Look Lately: Dear Rouge

OMG—new favorite song in the world! Dear Rouge is a Canadian duo that won a bunch of songwriting contest in the last couple of years and I think they will soon gain popularity in the States. (And my little Blog gave them their start!)

Ch Check it Out:Beastie Boys

Representin’ Brooklyn!!!

Get the Party Started: P!nk

This was written by Linda Perry of 4 Non-Blondes—bet you didn’t know that!

You Should Be Dancing:Bee Gees

Not only is this one of my favorite songs of all time but it serves as the soundtrack for my all-time top dance sequence on film. (So much going on here…)

This week’s playlist is a mixture of old and new styles of music for a 50-minute cardio workout that works well for indoor cycling, outdoor running and the elliptical. The pace is a mixture of easy resistance and a fast cadence to slower climbs requiring more muscle endurance.

Be sure to keep hydrated while you workout and as always—send me your favorite song suggestions!

Venture Highway (Deepsky’s Blizzard in L.A. Remix):America

I have used this song as a warm-up before and it always makes me feel happy. The mixture of dreamy orchestration mixed with the 70s hit makes me want to wear a poncho and stare at the stars at night.

Anything, Anything:Dramarama

OMG—I freaking love this song from the early 80s. The band broke up in 1994 but got back together after appearing in VH-1’s Bands Reunited.

Rumble and Sway: Jamie N Commons

This cute British boy is just 25 years old but rocks like an old blues artist.

Supersoaker:Kings of Leon

This song always makes me want to run faster and work harder. Perfect for sprints or running intervals.

Once in a Lifetime: Talking Heads

By far my favorite version of one of the best tunes of all freaking time!

Tongue Tied:Group Love

If you need something fun and poppy after a big mean climb.

I am One: Smashing Pumpkins

My inner 90s warrior chick luvs this band and this song in particular.

Blow Me One Last Kiss:P!nk

I think I have a problem when it comes to P!nk because if I do not hear her every single day—my world seems boring.

Tusk: Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac released a double album after their smash Rumors called Tusk and it contains exactly two decent songs on it. Can you guess the other one?

Bodysnatchers: Radiohead

This is a little gem from their In Rainbows CD you were allowed to pay whatever you wanted for it at the time.

Use Me (Live):Hootie & The Blowfish

Yes, I picked a Hootie song because this cover of Bill Withers’ hit kicks serious ass!

Love Runs Out:OneRepublic

Not sure why they do not have a space between “One” and “Republic” but I do like this tune.

That’s the Way:Led Zeppelin

The “Gods of Thunder” could write pretty ballads and this one always puts me in a good mood.

That’s all I have today folks. Let me know about some of your favorite songs and radio stations. I am always looking for good tunes.

Its midsummer when I type this and I am in the mood to listen to good tunes that motivate me to work out indoors (the “summuh” heat in New York City is off the charts!) So today I collected music that will take you through a 50-minunte interval workout for either the treadmill or elliptical that will keep you in the mood to move.

Be sure to keep hydrated while you workout and as always—send me your favorite song suggestions!

Good Feeling:Flo Rida

I was not too familiar with Flo Rida before so let me know tell you what I have learned about him. He’s 6’3”, grew up in Carol City, Florida, attempted college twice before deciding to make his rap dreams come true and is a WWE fan. You’re welcome!

Is it cold enough for you? (West Coast peeps can just shut their collective pie holes, by the way. We get it—it’s nice there. Now stop bragging about it on Facebook!)

Anyhoo I finally got around to creating a new playlist and it received kudos over the weekend by my picky students. It’s a mixture of old & new tunes and I hope you all enjoy it. (Now enough of the Polar Vortex crap!)

Crystal Vases:The Last Royals

I love this song to use as a warm-up as it is fun and poppy sounding. However—try tot to focus on the lyrics as they are rather, um, depressing.

Hell:Tegan and Sara

My fondness for Canadians continues with this duo who write some really catchy pop-rock tunes.

Get the Party Started:P!nk

If you need a go-to that is guaranteed to get the whole room into a groove—try this one from P!nk. Cuz it rules!

World Turning: Fleetwood Mac

I love Lindsey Buckingham and this one is one of my all-time favorites from his early days in Fleetwood Mac.

Midnight City: M83

This is one of those slow, climb-type of songs that reminds me of 80s New Wave music.

Hollaback Girl:Gwen Stefani

Personally, I prefer the version where she curses…B A N A N A S! (Don’t worry, this video is clean.)

I Don’t Feel Ike Dancing: Scissor Sisters

If there is a happier sounding song in the world—I have yet to find it.

Brain Stew: Green Day

Give me some crunchy-sounding guitars just about any day of the week, thankyouverymuch.

Holding on for Life: Broken Bells

The first time I heard this song I was convinced it was Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon singing as the Bee Gees. Love it though I know nothing about this band.

Machinehead: Bush

Are they names after the President(s?) Does anyone know the answer to that?

Starships:Nicki Minaj

Once again—I prefer the dirty version of this tune. (NSFW! Really!)

Stars:Moby

For some reason Moby seems to write the perfect songs to use for “climbs.”

Changes:David Bowie

“Time may change me, but I can’t change time.”

That’s all I have today folks. Let me know about some of your favorite songs and radio stations. I am always looking for good tunes.